A Deal with the Devil
by eastofthesol
Summary: Spoilers for 6x22. Alternate ending where Kai doesn't die and Bonnie holds nothing back. Bonnie had dreams of a magical loophole, which she originally thought was about Kai returning from 1903. But what if the loophole was about something else entirely?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** The only thing that kept me going throughout this insane season was the incredible Bonnie Bennett (the real MVP of the show) and I think her complex dynamic with Kai is too good to waste. So this is why I'm writing this fic. It's gonna be Bonkai but not-more like slow-burn Bonkai because, honestly, Kai put Bonnie through hell. This fic is gonna be more about celebrating the badassery of Bon-Bon and exploring her character fully. If that sounds like something you wanna read, then you've come to right place. (Also, I'm wanting this to be a lengthy multi-chap fic, so if you're into that idea, let me know!)

* * *

Bonnie felt as if she was standing at the gates of hell, awaiting to face the devil himself.

She stood outside the barn, listening to the crackling of fire and breathing in the putrid smell of blood and burning flesh. Bodies and debris littered the ground around her. The full moon shone brightly above, illuminating the carnage in an eerie glow.

Despite the racing of her heart, Bonnie was no longer bound by fear, as she had faced _everything_ at her young age. Her worst nightmare was behind her, existing in a completely different plane from the one she occupied. She bore the scars of years of loss and grief, carrying an unparalleled amount of pain with her.

That pain only made her stronger. It prepared her for what she was about to face.

With steady footsteps, Bonnie made her way into the wedding hall, dirtying her shoes from the pools of blood that spread along the hardwood floor. The room faded around her as her eyes fell on the figure of a monster disguised as a man, clad in formal attire.

* * *

Bonnie laid on the floor, gasping in pain. Kai had thrown her against the wall, causing her ribs to crack and press against her lungs. Blood pooled from the corner of her mouth. She sensed the misshapen way her body was contorted and she could also sense the impending feeling of death that loomed over her.

"Golly, Bon," Kai mocked as he stepped toward her. "I use a simple _motus_ spell and you're already down? I expected more from you."

Glass crunched beneath his shoes as he moved closer.

"I mean, you are a Bennett witch after all. I thought you were supposed to be powerful." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Oh, that's right! It's your blood that's powerful. Not you."

Bonnie laughed through the pain as Kai reached where she lay, hovering over her.

"Something funny? I must have missed the—"

" _Phasmatos motus rubix_!" Bonnie yelled, causing large shards of glass to rise from the ground and shoot through Kai.

He screamed, stumbling backwards, and clutched his face. A long piece of glass was lodged in his eye, causing blood to ooze from between his fingers. Kai laughed maniacally as he fell backwards onto the raised platform, where Bonnie imagined Alaric and Jo standing, blissfully unaware of what their futures held for them.

Bonnie pushed past the pain, groaning, and picked herself up from the ground. Kai was right about one thing—she was a Bennett witch. And Bennett witches aren't so easily overcome.

The room spun around Bonnie as she stood, the pain sending tremors through her. She leaned against the nearest wooden pillar for support and smiled at a blurry Kai as he pulled shards of glass from his body.

He finally managed to rip the shard from his eye, frowning at it. As his dark eyes slowly healed, he fixed them on Bonnie. "Naughty girl," he said, before throwing the glass at Bonnie's head.

It missed her by mere centimeters.

"How do you want this to end, Bon-Bon?" Kai yelled across the room. He pulled another shard of glass from his body and aimed it at Bonnie's leg. It shot through the air in a blur and lodged into her upper thigh, causing Bonnie to scream. "Because I can do this all night."

Kai aimed another bloodied shard at her, tossing it a second after she dodged out of the way. Bonnie skid across the floor and winced at the white-hot pain that shot through her body. She knew she didn't have much time before the pain overwhelmed her completely. Distracting Kai was her only option.

"I don't know, Kai," Bonnie called from her position on the floor. "Are you ready for me to die so soon? I thought you were more of the slow-torture type."

Bonnie's eyes scanned around the room as Kai replied. He monologued to himself, making the next minute stretch by as she struggled to think of her next course of action. Her eyes then fell on the corner of the room, where a burned hole sat.

 _If I can just get outside, I can draw on the power of the moon for strength_ , she thought to herself. She gradually made her way to the corner, grimacing as glass and wood pressed into her skin.

"I'm doing this for you," Kai continued, breaking her concentration. "I know you're ready to go, Bonnie. It's been a long time coming. _Incendia._ "

Fire rose around the room, rising around her and blocking her exit. Bonnie shied away from the flames as they came perilously close to burning her face. She turned back towards Kai and watched him rise from the platform, glass-free, with a wicked smile spread across his face.

Kai held his hand in the air, closing his bloodied fist slightly. Bonnie's body became weightless for a moment as Kai levitated her from the ground and pulled her away from the fire. He quickly let go, letting her fall onto her feet.

"I think it's wrong to kick a dog while it's down," Kai said over the roar of the fire.

Bonnie now stood eye-level with Kai, clutching her side as if she would fall apart at any moment.

"How moral of you," she replied in an acidic tone.

"Morality," Kai mused. "What a funny concept. It's just so… _relative_ , don't you think? For example, somehow it was wrong of me to slaughter my family. But it was totally acceptable for them to pit their children against each other every generation in a brutal ritual for leadership rights."

"As if those two things are the same," Bonnie spat.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Again, _relativity_ , Bon-Bon. It's funny though. They tried so hard to ensure that I would never shed anymore blood and look where it got them." He gestured around the growing inferno. "Dead!"

Bonnie's eyes followed Kai as she finally realized the magnitude of what he did. Nearly every member of his coven died in the wedding hall that night. Fifty witches—all dead in the same space.

In that moment, a plan began to form in Bonnie's head. She just needed enough time to carry it through.

"Eternity's a long time to live with no one to torture," Bonnie said. "With your family dead, your existence is now meaningless. How does that feel, Kai? To know there's not a soul that cares whether you live or die?"

Kai's amused gaze locked back on her. "Are you trying to _bait_ me, Bonnie Bennett?" He laughed, running his bloodied fingers through his hair. "That's hilarious, truly. But what I find to be considerably more amusing is the irony of your words. You think _I_ have no one who cares about my existence? Have you spoken to your _friends_? Anyone laid down their life for you recently?"

Kai let the question hang in the air boiling air.

"No one cares about you, Bonnie," he finally said. "The sooner you accept that, the easier your death will be."

Bonnie opened her mouth to argue, then allowed a look of pain to cross her face. She then let her shoulders slump and her hands fall to her sides. Warm tears ran down her cheek as she slumped onto her knees.

Kai looked pleased as Bonnie fell to the ground. He stared down at her, watching her with a burning curiosity in his eyes. He bridged the short distance between them and squatted in front of her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay to give up," Kai encouraged as he began to siphon magic from Bonnie. "It'll all be over soon."

"Yes, it will," Bonnie replied as she glanced up at Kai. His eyes were closed as he focused on draining her of her magic.

 _Now,_ Bonnie thought.

With the flick of her wrist, the broken leg of a chair flew across the floor and into Bonnie's hand. Without hesitation, she tightly gripped the splintered piece of wood and shoved it into Kai's chest. His eyes flew open in shock, with his mouth agape in pain.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Bonnie taunted as she twisted the wood deeper into his chest, scraping the edge of his heart.

Kai's grip loosened on Bonnie's shoulder as she leaned forward and pushed him onto his back. He struggled to pull the wood from his chest but the pain was too much. Bonnie sat over him, using her lower body to weigh him down. She then began to chant.

" _Infero Eseri Gratas, Disasustos Vom, Mas Pro Je Ta Sue Te. Victamas Veras."_

Blood sputtered from Kai's mouth as he struggled to speak, wanting to conjure up his own spell against Bonnie. She shifted her weight as she continued to chant, causing the wood to scrape closer to Kai's heart. He couldn't help but smile as he quickly recognized Bonnie's spell.

The inferno began to grow in response to Bonnie's words. It rose higher around the room, crawling up the wooden walls and reaching the ceiling rafters.

" _Phasmatos Tribum, Niha Sue Exilum, Disasustos Vom, Mas Pro Je Ta Sue Te."_

Kai relaxed against Bonnie's weight, letting his had fall against the floor. He closed his eyes for a long moment, mustering up the last bit of his energy.

" _Mo…tus…_ " he managed, causing Bonnie to fly off of him, sliding along the floor.

Bonnie watched in horror as Kai wrenched the wood from his heart, crying out in pain.

"Clever, clever, Bonnie," Kai yelled over the roar of the growing fire. "Using my coven's own destruction against me." He tossed the bloodied wood on the ground and charged towards her.

Bonnie acted quickly, conjuring a fire barrier around herself and Kai, separating them. She closed her eyes and continued the chant.

" _Levam, Mina Sue Te, Disasustos Vom, Mas Pro Je Ta Sue Te."_

The crack of thunder came down upon them, shaking the earth. Lightning struck the barn as Bonnie continued the spell, causing the fire to turn white all around them. A growing storm raged outside, drawing its power from Bonnie's words.

Kai couldn't help but watch in awe as Bonnie channeled the elements of nature around them. He watched her through the dancing of the fire, feeling a surge of euphoria as the magic from his coven moved through the air and into Bonnie.

" _Phasmatos Veras. Fes Matos Tribum, Mas Pro Tes Unum."_

As Bonnie neared the end of the spell, the roof began to collapse. Wind and water forced the building to fall while the fire weakened the structure. Ceiling beams fell from above, causing the flames to grow higher.

Bonnie opened her eyes as she neared the end of the spell, wanting to see Kai's face as he met his death.

" _Victas Ex Melam, Phasmatos Vanem,"_ Bonnie chanted, coughing from the smoke in her lungs. _"Mas Pro Je Ta Sue Te."_

As the last words left her lips, an incomprehensible amount of agony overcame her.

She watched through blurry vision as beams came down in flaming heaps, falling around Kai. He locked eyes with Bonnie as the flames surrounded him, quickly blanketing his body in fire. She expected him to scream but no sound escaped his lips.

Bonnie turned her head as he was engulfed in flame. She twisted her body and struggled to move against the agonizing pain. The spell was sucking the life out of her, drawing from her energy until there was nothing left.

But Bonnie didn't want to die. That was not her plan. Drawing from her most primal desire, which was to survive, Bonnie pulled her body along the floor. She crawled toward the exit, clearing a path using the last ounce of her magic.

Black spots dotted the edge of her vision as she crawled and crawled, eventually reaching the exit. Burned and bleeding, she pushed through the flaming barn door and reached the wet grass. Warm droplets of rain poured from the sky, despite the fire that burned behind her.

She collapsed only feet away from the building, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction as the barn went up in flames. With a small smile crossing her face, she closed her eyes and let the darkness envelop her.


	2. Chapter 2

"Do you really think that little psycho is dead?"

Bonnie sat in Damon's car, resting her face against her knees as they sped down the empty highway road.

"No one could have survived that," Bonnie murmured. "No one."

"And you?" Damon asked. "Will you survive it?"

"You gave me your blood," Bonnie replied weakly. "I'll heal just fine."

"You know what I meant."

"It doesn't matter now. Kai's gone for good."

* * *

Bonnie aimlessly walked the halls of the Salvatore boarding house, unsure of what to do next. She flitted from room to room, watching her friends in silence as they dealt with Elena's faux-funeral in their own way. There was a palpable feeling of melancholy that hung in the air everywhere she went.

For the non-vampires like Matt, Alaric, Jeremy, and Tyler, the day had been more of a funeral than not. Bonnie doubted any of them would live much longer than she would, as Elena's "slumber" depended on Bonnie's life. Surely, most of them would never see Elena again. The thought sent chills down Bonnie's spine.

It disturbed her to think that she and Elena were now bound in the worst kind of way—their friendship permanently marked with blood. There was almost a dark kind of humor to it, Bonnie thought. It was an ingenious spell that Kai devised, as she knew he created it only to make Bonnie suffer in the worst kind of way.

He took Bonnie's once most-defining characteristic, her selflessness and sacrificial tendencies, and used it against her. Kai wanted her to be a martyr one last time, giving herself up for the sake of her best friend.

Bonnie couldn't help but think about what she would have done merely five months before, when everything was different. When _she_ was different. She knew she would have given her life for Elena then. But Bonnie had changed, arguably, for the better.

She shook her head, trying to focus on the present moment, as she stood in the entryway of the Salvatore library. To no surprise, Bonnie found Caroline rushing around the room, sorting through piles of paper and scribbling words onto a notepad.

"Did you know Elena never spoke with the insurance company after her house burned down?" Caroline asked Bonnie without looking up from her notepad. "I know she was a soulless vampire for awhile there, so I get why she didn't do anything. There's just so much paperwork and legal documents to sort through and did you know Jeremy has a really terrible credit score? And—"

"Caroline," Bonnie interrupted. " _Stop_." She stepped into the room and walked over to where Caroline was sitting. "You do not need to be worrying yourself over this right now."

Caroline sighed and cradled her face in her hands. "I know, Bonnie, _I know_. I just want everything to be ready for her when she… wakes up. I want Jeremy to have a good life so she won't feel guilty and I want her to have a happy human life with good credit but how can she do that now? There's just so much to do… god, I'm a mess."

Bonnie sat down and put her arm around Caroline's shoulder. She didn't have any words of comfort for her manic friend, so they sat in silence for awhile.

"Have you thought about what your plan is?" Bonnie finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I have." Caroline wiped the corner of her eyes, careful not to smudge her makeup. "I'm going to get serious about acting. I've already made arrangements to check out a school in New York this weekend—a film academy or something like that."

Bonnie forced a small smile. "That's great, Caroline. New York is your kind of place."

Caroline playfully nudged Bonnie's shoulder. "It could be your kind of place too, you know."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay."

She turned her body to face Bonnie fully. "No, seriously. There's nothing for us here, Bon. You must know that. Besides, it's too dangerous for you to stay here." Caroline lowered her voice and glanced around the room. "We still don't know anything about those psycho witchpires, or whatever, so I think it'd be pretty stupid for you to stay in Mystic Falls."

"I know that," Bonnie said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "But I need to look into a few things before I can even think about leaving, okay? I can't just let a coven of _witchpires_ reek havoc on the world. What kind of witch would I be to let that happen?"

Caroline thought over Bonnie's words for a long moment. "You know I'm your best friend, Bonnie, right?"

Bonnie nodded.

"Good. Okay." Caroline sighed. "Just say the word and I'll stay here with you, I really will. I'll help you with these witch freaks and do whatever I can. But the past few months, hell, the past few years have been _terrible_ , Bonnie. I'm tired. You're tired. We're all tired." She paused. "Why don't you leave the world saving to someone else for once? You have one life and I don't want to see you risking it anymore. It's time to live your life, Bonnie."

Bonnie fixed Caroline with a hard stare, with memories of the past few years flashing across her version. All the pain and suffering they went through. All the people they lost.

"What if—what if I don't know how to do that, Caroline?" Bonnie whispered. "What if I can't live a _normal_ life? Not after everything I've gone through."

Tears began to well up in Bonnie's eyes as she waited for Caroline to respond.

"I'm really sorry, Bonnie," Caroline whispered, not bothering to wipe away the tears that ran down her own face. "I don't know what to say."

Bonnie faked a smile and put on a brave face. "It's fine, Caroline, really. I'll figure things out on my own."

With that, Bonnie rose from the couch and left the room. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her emerald colored dress and headed for the Salvatore wine cellar.

As she passed the living room, she saw Jeremy lying languidly on the couch, a bottle of nearly empty bourbon in his hand. Matt sat on the couch across from him, looking through what appeared to be a photo album. He glanced up right as Bonnie was about to disappear down the hallway.

"You okay?" He asked in a low voice, furrowing his blonde eyebrows in concern.

Bonnie nodded, sniffing slightly. "Damon hasn't come back yet, has he?"

Matt shook his head. "To be honest, I don't think he'll be coming back from the crypt anytime soon. Listen, Bon, what I said last night about—"

Bonnie put her finger over her lips, signaling him to be quiet. "Lets go outside."

Matt followed Bonnie to the living room door that led out onto the covered porch.

"I didn't want Stefan to hear us," Bonnie whispered as she leaned against the brick wall, breathing in the cool night air.

"Yeah," Matt muttered, staring up at the starry sky. "I still stand by what I said about Damon. Maybe not today, or anytime soon, but he's gonna snap, Bonnie." Matt looked back at her with a pained look in his blue eyes. "Something is gonna trigger him, causing him to turn off his 'humanity switch' and the first thing he's gonna do is come after you."

"So what should I do then?" Bonnie asked, clearly annoyed. "Go into witness protection because a lovesick vampire could potentially kill me?"

"Be serious." Matt sighed. "You need to get out of here and not tell me or Jeremy or anyone he could compel where you're going."

"Caroline wants us to move to New York," Bonnie said.

"But you aren't gonna go, are you?"

"It's that not simple, Matt," Bonnie said. "You of all people should know that."

"Then what will you do?"

"I don't know," Bonnie said, turning her back to him. She looked out into the dark forest that lined the Salvatore property. "What will _you_ do?"

"I'm gonna try my best to protect this town and its people," Matt replied, not missing a beat. "'Cause no one else is looking out for the humans here. That doesn't mean you should stay though, Bon. I can handle it myself."

Bonnie didn't say anything as she stared out into the night. Cool night air began to rustle the leaves, causing goosebumps to rise on Bonnie's skin. She then sensed Matt step closer, with him leaning over the short brick wall that lined the porch.

"All of our lives have fallen apart," he said in a somber tone. "So much shit has happened to us. But I want you to know that what happened with Elena is not your fault, Bonnie. I know no one's bothered to say that to you yet."

Bonnie smiled a bitter smile. "It is my fault though, Matt. You saw the tape. Kai did this out of spite for what _I_ did to him. If I hadn't trapped him in 1903, he wouldn't have done any of it. There would be no impossible spell on Elena and I. Jo and hundreds of witches wouldn't be dead. A coven of magic-siphoning vampires wouldn't be hiding out somewhere in Mystic Falls." Bonnie paused, suddenly feeling out of breath. "I let my hatred of Kai cloud my judgement and now hundreds of people are dead because of it."

Bonnie felt a mixture of guilt and rage building inside her, fighting for dominance. The wind began to pick up and blow strongly, rustling the trees that surrounded the property. They seemed to sway in time with the rapid beat of Bonnie's heart.

"Bonnie," Matt warned, gently resting his hand on her shoulder. "Bonnie, _calm down_."

Bonnie ignored his warning and continued, "I can't run, Matt. It's not who I am. I have to do everything in my power to fix what I've done." She shrugged off his hand and headed toward the steps that led off the porch. "I have to go."

"What are you going to do?" Matt called after her.

Bonnie didn't respond as she stepped off the porch and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

* * *

Bonnie sped down the mostly empty highway road, eventually arriving at Alaric's old place in town. She quickly made her way inside the apartment building and to his front door.

She knocked on the door for several minutes but no one answered. Frustrated, she unlocked the door using a simple spell and walked inside.

Alaric was sitting on the dusty hardwood floor, surrounded by boxes and glass bottles containing various alcoholic drinks. He didn't look up as Bonnie crossed the room and stood beside him. She then realized he was bleeding from his nose, with blood dripping down onto the assorted mess that sat on the floor. He had arranged his vampire hunting weapons in a long row in front of him.

"What are you doing here, Bonnie?" Alaric asked without looking up from his weapons. He picked a pointed stake from the floor and pressed the tip into his hand, causing it to swell slightly with blood. "I guess Damon's too busy mourning to save me from teetering off the edge."

Bonnie knelt in front of Alaric, careful not to step on the sharp objects.

"I need to ask you a question," she said. "And I need you to answer it honestly."

He glanced up for a second, arching his eyebrows, then looked back down at the weapons.

"I'm thinking about getting back into vampire hunting," he said, gesturing to the objects spread across the floor. "I don't have to be sober, _ever_ , and it's a high-risk job. I like that. Better than teaching."

Bonnie sighed in frustration. "Will you answer me honestly or not?"

"Since I was a vampire for awhile, I know how they think. Albeit, I was an _original_ vampire. But I'm sure it's mostly the same," he continued. "It'll give me an advantage over them."

Bonnie made a splayed gesture with her hand, causing the glass bottles in the living room to shatter one-by-one, sending glass and alcohol all over the room.

Alaric finally stopped talking, locking his dark eyes with Bonnie's.

"Do you blame me at all for Jo's death?" Bonnie asked.

Alaric stared at her for a long moment. "Of course not."

"Are you sure?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Alaric asked, shaking his head. "Christ, I could never blame you. Kai made it his life's mission to end Jo's life. That was never going to change."

Bonnie nodded slightly. "I'm asking you this because I have a plan. And you're apart of it. If you blame me in any way, the plan isn't going to work."

Alaric narrowed his eyes. "What kind of plan?"

"A plan to fix what I started."

* * *

 **A/N:** Not that exciting, I know. But I swear it's gonna get good in the next chapter (and continue to be good). Also, a huge thank you to everyone that reviewed/favorited/followed! Let me know your thoughts!


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